The present invention relates to a photographic printer, and more particularly to a photographic printer wherein a roof type reflector is disposed within a printing optical path to project an image recorded on photographic film onto a monitor screen or directly onto a photosensitive material while maintaining the right and left sides of the projected image the same as those of the original image.
Conventional photographic printers have been either a non-reflect type having a linear printing optical path, or a reflect type having an L-shaped printing optical path. FIG. 9 shows an example of a non-reflect type photographic printer having a linear printing optical path 3. A photographic film, e.g., a negative film 1, set on a film carrier 7 is disposed facing a photosensitive material. e.g., a color paper 4. A printing lens 2 is interposed therebetween so that an image recorded in the negative film 1 is printed on the color paper 4. FIG. 10 shows an example of a reflect type photographic printer whose printing optical path 6 is L-shaped. A flat mirror 8 slanted at a 45 degree angle is disposed between a taking lens 5 and a color paper 4.
The negative film 1 is set on the film carrier 7 of the non-reflect type photographic printer shown in FIG. 9, with its front surface. i.e., its photosensitive emulsion layer, facing toward the color paper 4. On the other hand, with the reflect type photographic printer shown in FIG. 10, the negative film 1 is turned upside down on the film carrier 7, i.e., with its photosensitive emulsion layer facing a light source 9, because an image projected upon the color paper has its right and left sides reversed by the mirror 8.
At a laboratory using these two types of photographic printers, it becomes necessary to change the set conditions of a negative film 1 on the film carrier 7 in accordance with the type of a photographic printer, resulting in a possibility of erroneous setting of the negative film 1 by an operator.
A photographic printer of the type shown in FIG. 9 also may be equipped with a monitor to check a trimming condition. FIG. 11 shows such a photographic printer with a monitor. This printer has a transparent type monitor screen 10 and a mirror 11 which is inserted into the printing optical path 3 during a trimming operation. While observing the monitor screen, the operator moves the film carrier 7 holding a negative film 1 on a work bench 12 thereby to adjust the trimming area within the image frame. During photographic printing, the mirror 11 is retracted from the printing optical path 3, and the desired trimming area is enlarged by a printing lens 13 and projected onto a color paper 4.
However, with this photographic printer/monitor combination, the image displayed on the monitor screen through the mirror 11 is reversed between the right and left sides thereof relative to those of the image of the negative film. As a result, if the film carrier 7 is moved in the right direction, the image displayed on the monitor screen 10 moves in the left direction. These opposing motions of the negative film 1 and the image on the monitor screen 10 are confusing to an operator and can make practical operation inconvenient.